The day 4/20 is celebrated by the smokers and non-smokers as a holiday for the cannabis culture.
Marijuana is seen at the Sneaker Headz cannabis store. AFP
Cannabis Day is marked every year on 20 April by smokers around the world especially in the United States as a reason to toke up with friends and massive crowds. Over the past decade, 18 US states along with the District of Columbia have legalised marijuana for recreational use and some states like New Jersey have permitted medical marijuana pharmacies to start selling their products to all adults.
The day 4/20 is celebrated by the smokers and non-smokers as a holiday for the cannabis culture. Each year on this day, major road rallies are organised by the people of Colorado, California and other states where marijuana has been legalised already. Thousands of American people gather together to celebrate marijuana which is still illegal in the US.
History:
There are many theories behind the date 4/20. The most credible theory, however, traces to Marin County in Calif. According to Steven Hager, a former editor of the marijuana-focused news outlet High Times, the ritual was started by five high school teenagers from San Francisco in the 1970s. They used to meet after the extracurricular activities of the school were over and smoke marijuana by a wall at around 4:20 pm. The teenagers were also known as ‘waldos’. Hence, 4/20 was made a code for them.
There is a story that these teens found a map of a marijuana crop base and went to search for it on this day. They, however, found nothing but their story got popular and the 4/20 code became significant.
Significance:
The meaning of 4/20 varies from person to person. Some mark the day to smoke weed and have fun with others and some observe the day to push forward legalisation for legalising marijuana. The support for marijuana legalisation has grown over the years as the event has become more commercial and mainstream. Marijuana sellers mark the day to find more ways to market their products among adults. In the 1970s, marijuana used to be a symbol of protest in broader systematic problems in the US such as overseas wars and the powerful corporations in America, and remains popular till date.